Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Changing of Seasons

The neighborhood is quieter these days. No daredevil boys doing Evil Knievel tricks on the steep hill beside our house. No shouting and romping around of packs of boys. (There aren't any girls under 15 in the neighborhood) The dogs even seem quieter.

School started this week. We started sometime in July, so the kids are a bit confused. Add to that fact that we are homeschooling, and the confusion doubles.

It has been a bit hard for the kids to explain to their peers that their Mommy is their teacher and that they stay home for their school work. They are worldly-wise enough to understand that they don't get to go to the mysterious building and see all the kids who disappear inside it for hours at a time. They know that they are missing out on some serious playground time. They don't get to ride the school bus (remember when you thought that was cool?). They don't get to eat lunch in a cafeteria. How they know all of this stuff, I totally have no idea. But they do, and Thomas knows he is 'missing' it.

On the other hand, I went to the first meeting for the group of families that we will be interacting with as our 'school friends' this past Saturday. I came home and filled the kids heads with talk of play dates, field trips, book reports, and music class. I then reminded Thomas of his soccer commitment and Sarah Grace that she would be enrolling in gymnastics.

Then today, while other kids were in school, we went swimming. Yes, we did our school, but we also cooled off in the pool for about an hour. It occurred to Thomas that kids normally didn't get to swim while they were at school. Suddenly, everything about homeschooling was alright with him.

I suspect it will be bit of a struggle for a while. Within the group of people he regularly gets to see, the vast majority of those children started Kindergarten at *real* schools this week. Thomas has some anxieties wrapped up in homeschooling. (Frankly, so do I!) Overall, though, I think he will do great.

And Sarah Grace? She knows full well that the only way she gets to do Kindergarten this year is because we are homeschooling. In fact, she was pouting on the couch this morning because she couldn't read a book by herself yet. Something tells me she will be keeping me on my toes...